Enter Ryu: Dragon Demon
by Ryu the Dragon Demon
Summary: When Ryu, a dragon demon, escapes from Naraku's castle, he joins up with the gang. This story is full of laughes, crazyness, and some really serious and sad moments!co-author:demon-slayer13 R
1. Ryu's escape

Authors' notes:

Rhia of Druma Wood: HI! Ok, first off, my partner in writing this is demon-slayer13. Say hi, Sango!

demon-slayer13: Yes, I'm Sango and that lunatic over there writing the story we call Tori.

Rhia of Druma Wood: Yes, You'll call me Tori. And I'm only writing the story because Sango forgets the commas and it REALLY annoys me.

demon-slayer13:-Mutters-Almost as much as she annoys me...

Rhia of Druma Wood:-Glares-Anyway, Sango and I were talking one day and our funny ideas evolved into a 12 role play that we half talked, half acted out.

demon-slayer13:-bursts out suddenly-Swivel Chairs!!!

Rhia of Druma Wood: Yes, swivel chairs-mutters to readers- She's insane as well.

-Raises voice again- No offence to FanFic, but IT WON'T LET ME SAY THIS STORY HAS FOUR GENRES!! ARG!!!

demon-slayer13:-Groans and hits Tori on the head with Hiraikotsu-

Rhia of Druma Wood:-Rubbing head-Thank you. Anyway, The real genres are: Humour, Action/Adventure, Romance, and Suspense.

demon-slayer13: And I warn you, she IS a bad speller, so put the word and around what place it was around in your review if you find something her spell-checker missed.

Rhia of Druma Wood: Please do. And our final warning:

Rhia of Druma Wood and demon-slayer13 in unison: DO NOT READ THIS STORY UNLESS YOU CAN HANDEL PG13 IN ALL ASPECTS, ARE ALL FOR SAN-MIR FICS, AND ARE NOT AFRAID OF SWIVEL CHAIRS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. WE WILL SHUT UP NOW AND LET YOU READ THE STORY.

Signed,

Rhia of Druma Wood(Writer, creator, artist)

-yes, there are pictures, we just don't know how to post them with the story-

demon-slayer13(Writer, creator, swivel-chair lover)

"Kagura!" Naraku said, "I have a mission for you."

"What, lord?"

"Fetch that prisoner!"

"Sorry sir, but you're going to need to be a bit more descriptive..."

"That dragon demon, Ryu."

"Ah. Him. One moment..." Kagura left Naraku to find the prisoner, hearing after her,

"I LOVE SWIVEL-CHAIRS!!! MUHAHAHAHA!!!"

Kagura sighed, then left to find the prisoner, finding him in the most powerful holding cell. She opened the door. In the corner was teenager, looking to be around 17, sitting half-crossed-legged with his back to her. The only features she could make out on him was his vibrant, lime-green hair.

"Lord Naraku has summoned you. Get up." Kagura said, rolling her eyes when she said 'Lord Naraku'.

"Really? Make me," The boy said, still with his back to her. He had a slightly higher voice then was usual, but not much.

"If you don't come, Naraku will kill us both," Kagura said.

"Anything is better then this place. Have you realized that Kanna is the only reason I'm alive? She's been bringing me food for the past 11 months! I've been here a year, and dragons are never full. THAT is torture."

"Naraku FORGOT about you?" Kagura said. "I knew he was an idiot, but I though he would at least remember he had a prisoner! That must have been bad."

The boy turned around. From the sounds of it, this woman didn't like Naraku that much either.

He stood up. He had dark, baggy green pants and a lighter, loose green top. He was about 6'. His feet were dragon claws, and his hands had long, sharp green ones. He had a dark green, scaly tail, about 4' long, with a large silver spike on the end, along with a line on them on the top. He had two large wings, also dark green and scaly. He had his loud, lime-green hair, a skinny form, and pale yellow eyes. At his waist hung on long sheath, which contained a 4'5" long dragon-fang sword.

(I hope that was a good enough description because you're only getting it ONCE! Though, if I find out how to put pictures on FanFic, I'll post his up in a chapter)

"Hmm..." Kagura said, a plan forming in her mind. "Come. Let's see what Naraku wants. Then we'll think of a way to get you out of here."

The boy shrugged, then followed Kagura back to Naraku chamber. When they arrived, Naraku was still playing on his swivel chair(Don't ask me how he got it). He stopped immediately.

"So this is the Dragon Demon Ryu..." Naraku said, surveying him. "I guess he'll do. I have a mission for you." Ryu looked like he wanted to say something that Inu-Yasha might have said, but Kagura nudged him.

"What would that be?"

"I want you to go and kill Inu-Yasha. Have you heard of him?" Ryu shook his head. "Very well. Go find him and kill him. Otherwise I will kill you."

Ryu nodded. Kagura took him outside, just as they heard, "SWIVEL CHAIRS!!! YAY!"

Once they were outside, Kagura looked happy.

"Why are you so overjoyed?" Ryu asked emotionlessly.

"This is perfect! You're as good as free. I'll take you to him, then all I have to do is wait a day, come back, and tell Naraku you were killed!"

"Ok..." Ryu said, edging away from Kagura. She took out her feather and transformed it into it's giant from, then pulled Ryu on and flew away.

Over with the Inu-Yasha group, everyone was sitting down in a clearing, trying to decide where to go next.

"I vote go back to Kaede's village," Kagome said. Miroku nodded in agreement.

"I say we keep randomly looking for Shikon shards," Inu-Yasha said. Sango nodded.

"We're never gonna come to an agreement!" Sango said. Everyone nodded.

Up above them, Kagura and Ryu were looking them. They were very high hi up, hiding in the clouds.

"See them?" Kagura asked. Ryu nodded. He turned to Kagura.

"Uh...Thanks..." He said. He was as far away from Kagura as possible on her feather. She nodded. Ryu flew down, gliding gracefully. Kagura watched him glide for a few seconds, then flew away.

Down below, they were still arguing when Inu-Yasha stopped mid-sentence and stood up. Suddenly everyone else stopped too and stood up as well.

"I smell a demon..." Inu-Yasha said.

"I sense one!" Sango said.

"Me too," Miroku said.

"I sense a jewel shard!" Kagome said.

"I feel left out!" Shippo said. Kirara mewed in agreement.

Suddenly everyone heard a rustling around them. They all turned in different directions. They heard it again. Sango saw a flash of silver and pointed. Everyone turned.

Then they heard noise behind them. They all turned around to see Ryu, standing there with his sword in one hand, it pointing to the ground. Sango stepped back in shock.

"Are you Inu-Yasha?" Ryu asked, looking at Inu-Yasha. He nodded and pointed Tetsaiga at him.

"Yeah and I'm ready to fight you when you're ready," Inu-Yasha said. Sango looked at the dragon demon with wide eyes. It couldn't be him...

"R-Ryu?" Sango said, taking a step closer. Ryu looked startled.

"Who are you?" He asked Sango. Sango was about to answer, but Kirara(small form) bounded towards Ryu and jumped onto his shoulder. Everyone watched, shocked, to she what Ryu would do. Ryu took Kirara in his arms and petted her.

"Hi, Kirara!" He said happily. Kirara mewed. "Where ya been? I've missed you!" Everyone stared at him. Kirara mewed happily. Sango looked shocked.

"Ryu? Is it really you?" She asked. Miroku looked at her.

"Do you know this man?" Miroku asked.

"Yeah, how do you know my name?" Ryu asked, still stroking Kirara.

"When...When I was twelve...I got separated from my demon-slaying group in a mountain forest. I was lost for two days, then a young Dragon Demon named Ryu found me and took me back my village." Sango said. Ryu's eyes opened wide.

"Sango?!" He said. He stopped petting Kirara for a second. She mewed, and he started petting her again. "No...That can't be you..."

"That means you are Ryu!" Sango said. "I never got to thank you properly. Thank you for saving my life!" Sango ran up and hugged Ryu. Ryu's eyes went HUGE and his face went pale as Sango hugged him. He jumped away and flew up into a tree.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" He shouted from his tree, shuddering. Sango looked confused.

"What's wrong Ryu?" Sango asked.

"Just stay away from me!" He said, shivering at the thought of being near a girl. Kagome sniggered. "And what's so funny?!" Ryu said.

"You're afraid of girls!" Kagome said, laughing. Ryu blanched.

"Yeah, so what if I am?! It's perfectly normal!" Ryu said.

"No it's not!!!" Miroku and Inu-Yasha said. Ryu made no reply. He calmed down.

"Why don't you come down? We won't let the girls near you," Miroku said. Ryu glided down, landing behind Miroku and away from the girls. Kirara went over to him again and jumped on his tail. Ryu winced, then relaxed. Kirara was having fun riding his tail as it swished back and forth.

"So, Ryu, why did you come to us in the first place?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Naraku sent me to kill you, and Kagura thought it was the perfect opportunity to help me escape, telling Naraku that you had killed me."

"Oh," Inu-Yasha said. "Do you remember where Naraku's castle is, then?"

"Nope."

"DAMN IT! WHY IS IT THAT WHENEVER WE FIND SOMEONE'S WHO'S BEEN IN NARAKU'S CASTLE, THEY CAN NEVER REMEMBER WHERE IT IS?!?!" Inu-Yasha yelled.

"I can explain that if you want," Ryu said. "Naraku has a spell on the outside of his castle that makes anyone not his servant forget where it is."

"Oh." Inu-Yasha said. Ryu smiled.

"Uh, while I'm here...I might as well help..." Ryu said. "You got anywhere you need to go?"

"Kaede's village!" Kagome said before anyone else could open their mouths. Ryu nodded.

"Um, who's Kaede?" Ryu asked.

"Have you heard of Kikyo?" Sango asked.

"Her? Yeah, I've...OH! You mean THAT Kaede!"

"How many Kaedes do you know?" Kagome asked. Ryu smiled embarrassedly.

"Uh...Right. Terepo-to(Teleport)!" He said. Suddenly they were outside Kaede's village, sitting in the snow(yes, it's winter).

"How did you do that?!" Inu-Yasha asked, jumping up and looking at Ryu. Ryu just smiled.

"You guys go on ahead, I'll wait out here for the night," Ryu said, still staying away from the girls.

"You'll freeze!" Sango said. "Come with us. No one will mind! They don't mind Inu-Yasha!"

"Yeah, Inu-Yasha's only got ears on his head. How do you think they'd react to a dragon?"

"They won't care if you're with us!" Kagome said.

"Come on, please?" Sango said, getting closer to him and looking at him with puppy-dog eyes. Ryu looked terrified at Sango coming within 5 feet of him.

"Alright! Just get away from me!!!" Ryu said, hiding behind Inu-Yasha. Sango smiled triumphantly.

"The puppy-dog eyes always work! Haha!" Everyone stared at her with little Anime Sweat-Drops.

They went inside the village, Ryu looking very uncomfortable. They went to Kaede's hut. She was there at the moment.

"Hi, Kaede!" Kagome said. She smiled.

"Hello, Kagome. Come back for a visit?"

"Yup!"

"Who is this?" Kaede said, looking over at Ryu, who was currently as far as possible from everyone in the room. Sango sighed.

"That's Ryu. He's kinda afraid of girls," Sango said.

"I see. So what are ye going to do with him?" Kaede asked.

"I don't know, what are we gonna do with you?" Inu-Yasha asked, looking over at Ryu.

"I don't know...I guess I'll travel with you guys..."

"But Naraku will look for you after he finds out that you're still alive." Miroku said.

"True. But if he didn't recognise him..." Sango said.

"What do you mean?" Ryu asked.

"What if we changed your appearance?" Sango said. "Naraku wouldn't be able to recognise you and might overlook you."

"Good idea, except how are we going to do that?" Ryu asked.

"I suppose I could do something..." Kaede said. "What kind of transformation are we going to do?"

"How about turning him human? Naraku will never recognise him!" Kagome said. Ryu shook his head.

"I need my demonic powers," Ryu said.

"How about just your wings or tail?"

"NO!" Ryu said, grabbing his tail protectively(Kirara still on it).

"Ok..." Kagome said. "I'm all out."

"How about we make you look younger?" Miroku suggested. "Around 9 or so."

"I would appreciate it if I weren't smaller then my sword," Ryu said. "How about 12?"

"Sounds good!" Sango said. Everyone agreed.

"I'll work on that, but ye will have to stay the night. Ye can use the spare hut." Kaede said. Everyone nodded. A little while later, they left the hut and went to the spare one. To Ryu's horror, there was only one small room.

"I'll sleep outside," Ryu said. Sango tried to say something, but he flew away too quickly. She sighed.

"Man, someone needs to talk to him, and NOT MIROKU!" Sango said as Miroku did his little henti thing and earned himself a big red handprint on his face.


	2. Clearing up squabbles

Ryu sat outside in a tree, looking up at the stars. He didn't sleep at night. Ever. He didn't need to, and his body wouldn't let him. So he spent his nights wandering around, most of the time hunting.

But this night was different. He couldn't go too far in case the others got worried about him. He was still getting used to the fact that there were actually people who might worry about him. He wasn't used to people. He'd been alone most of his life. Ever since...He didn't want to think about it.

The next morning, Sango went out to get Ryu. Ryu glided down the tree, and acted a bit better around Sango, but when Kagome sneaked up behind him and said, "HI!", he nearly jumped through the roof.

"Why are you so afraid of girls, anyway?" Inu-Yasha asked, looking at Ryu as he at between Inu-Yasha and Miroku.

"Bad...Experience..." Ryu said, trying to get off the subject. Miroku and Inu-Yasha both raised their eyebrows, but said nothing.

"Breakfast is ready!" Kagome said. Ryu looked confused.

"Break-Fast?" Ryu said. Kagome laughed.

"Yup. Don't you know about breakfast?" Ryu shook his head. Everyone looked surprised.

"You don't know about breakfast?" Sango asked.

"Uh...No...We just ate whenever."

"Wow. Well, breakfast is the meal we eat in the morning."

"Wait...I remember something...Hey, Sango, didn't you and your family eat 3 times a day? Once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and dinner?"

"You know about dinner but not about breakfast and lunch?" Kagome asked. "We have a lot of work to do with you. Anyway, here," She said, handing Ryu and Inu-Yasha two bowls of Ramen. Inu-Yasha looked overjoyed and started to eat it right away, but Ryu wasn't so sure.

"What is this stuff?" he said. He picked up the chopsticks, dropped them, then picked them up again, remembered how to use them, then picked up the noodles cautiously.

"It's Ramen, and it's Inu-Yasha's favourite food," Kagome said. Inu-Yasha stopped for half a second to nod, then went back to his Ramen-Eating fest. Ryu picked up the Ramen again and took a small bite.

Immediately his expression changed. He started to wolf down the ramen faster even then Inu-Yasha(If that was possible). He finished his bowl. Kagome smiled and gave him some more, which he finished in a matter of seconds.

Kaede walked in at that point, carrying a small vile filled with purple liquid. She laughed at the sight of Inu-Yasha and Ryu fighting over the last bowl of Ramen.

"Here is the potion. Ye best take it now, with food," She said, and she laid down the potion and stayed to make sure he took it.

Inu-Yasha, looking defeated, let go of the Ramen, which Ryu ate a bite of, then chugged down the purple potion, and continued on with his Ramen eating.

Immediately there was a change. He was getting younger right before their eyes. He shrunk until he was a foot smaller and looked a lot younger. Kaede smiled.

"Good. I worked well on him."

Ryu, finished with the bowl, was about to set it down, when he saw his arm. Then he looked at the rest of him. He nearly fainted.

"What the...?" he said. His clothes were way to big for him, and his face turned brick-red at the comical sight of him in huge clothes. Kagome reached into her bag and threw him a towel, in which he hid in.

"Kagome, go and see if any the children have spare clothes for him," Kaede said. She ran out at once. Kaede followed her, along with Sango.

"I'm a 800-year-old trapped in a 12-year-old's body," Ryu said, peeking out from under the towel. His voice was higher now.

"That must be torture," Miroku thought. Inu-Yasha hit him.

"Be glad Sango didn't hear that," Inu-Yasha said. Miroku looked horrified, and Ryu actually laughed.

Kagome and Sango came back at that instant, Kagome carrying some clothes for Ryu. They left immediately, and he changed.

Now he was 5"1'and wearing baggy, navy blue pants with a dark purple top. He still had his vibrant lime green hair, wings, claws, and tail(Which Kirara was now on again). He went outside and looked around.

"This is going to take a lot of getting used to," He said, sighing. "Now I have to look up to everybody."

Everyone laughed, much to the annoyance of Ryu. At least Naraku wouldn't recognise him right away.

"We might as well get going," Inu-Yasha said. Everyone agreed. So they set off, taking the path through the forest.

They had been talking casually(Ryu not saying much) for a while when Inu-Yasha stiffened and sniffed the air.

"What is it?" Kagome asked. "A demon?"

"It's that flea bag son of a-" Inu-Yasha started, but he never got to finish because at that moment, Koga came whizzing through the trees, and he stopped right behind Kagome. He tapped her on the shoulder, and Kagome turned around an slapped him. Ryu laughed.

"Don't even say it, the answer it NO!" Kagome said before Koga opened his mouth.

"Uh, What's she talking about?" Ryu asked Sango.

"It's a long story," Sango said.

"Get out of here, you stinking flea bag!" Inu-Yasha said, unsheathing the Tetsusaiga and pointing it at Koga.

"You get lost, mutt-face!" Koga said. They continued on like this for a long time, before Ryu finally got annoyed and stood up. He walked over between them when they were about to fist-fight each other and held out his hands to stop them.

"Will you two GIVE IT A REST?! You're fighting over a girl, for god's sake!"

Both Inu-Yasha and Koga looked surprised, Koga more so then Inu-Yasha.

"Why am I being yelled at by a twelve year old?" Koga asked, bending down to get a better look at Ryu. Ryu got one of those little anime annoyed things on his head, then hit Koga.

"I'm twelve, you idiot! I'm 800 years old, for your information!"

"RYU!!!!" Everyone yelled.

"Oops...sorry...Here, I'll fix that!" Ryu said, pulling out his sword (Which was now only slightly shorter then Ryu himself). With a graceful sweep of his arm, he whacked Koga on the head with the flat part and knocked him out.

"Uh...What did you just do?" Inu-Yasha asked as Ryu put away his sword.

"Erased his memory and knocked him out," Ryu said calmly.

"How much did you erase?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Only the part about him ever seeing me."

"Wow."

"Yup! I love this sword!" Ryu said proudly, patting the sheath. "Anyhow, we should get moving again."

And they did. But they had only gone a short distance when they ran into...

"Sessho-maru!" Inu-Yasha said. _How many people who want to kill me are we going to run into today?! _He thought.

"Hello, little brother," Sessho-maru said, taking out his sword. He swung it at Inu-Yasha, and the sword fight began. They watched back and forth, until Rin came out of no-where and sat with Sango and Kagome and(For the first time) Ryu(Miroku was trying to help Inu-Yasha despite his protests).

"Hi Sango-Chan! Hi Kagome-Chan!" Rin said, looking at them both in turn. Then she turned to Ryu, looked confused for a second, then smiled. "Hi dragon-man!" Ryu smiled.

"Hi, Rin!" Sango and Kagome said(Ryu taking note of her name). "Why are you here?"

"I got bored waiting for Sessho-maru-Sama to finish, so I came out to see you!"

"You know, I'm getting bored with this stupid sibling rivalry too. I think I'll stop it," Ryu said, getting up and taking out his sword. He went over to the two, and right when they were about to kill each other, he stepped between them, stopping them short.

"Who are you?" Sessho-maru asked, looking at the twelve year old(Though he knew he was a demon and had to be much older. He could smell it).

"That doesn't concern you," Ryu said. "I came here because you two...I mean, come on! You're acting like 200-year-olds!"

Both looked taken aback, while everyone else was suppressing laughter from Ryu's remark.

"Just leave, Sessho-maru-Sama!" Rin said, running forward in front of Sessho-maru. "Don't hurt the Dragon-Man!"

Sesshomaru looked at Rin(Who had the 'puppy-dog eyes' technique she learned from Sango). He put away his sword and started walking away from the company. They left. Everyone stared at Ryu.

"Honestly, you people...Am I going to have to take care your little squabbles?"

It was getting close to night, and the group had found a clearing in which they could settle in for the night.

"Have any of you realized how long it's been since we've had a training session?" Sango asked. Inu-Yasha stood up.

"Yeah. Hey Sango, get ready."

"For what?"

Inu-Yasha drew the Tetsusaiga and lunged at Sango. Sango jumped out of the way and grabbed her sword. She blocked the Tetsusaiga and slashed. Ryu watched.

"Hey, Sango!" He said. Sango turned to face him and almost got hit with the Tetsusaiga. She blocked it and continued fighting. "You've got great footwork, but you're too predictable."

"Am I? Sorry, but I'm not used to criticism while fighting," Sango said, trying to concentrate on Inu-Yasha.

"Oh, and Inu-Yasha, stop aiming for the head. I don't think I've seen you go for anywhere else!"

Inu-Yasha and Sango fought a bit better. Sango, taking Ryu's advice, faked a blow to the head, but changed at the last moment and cut Inu-Yasha on the leg. He winced.

"Sorry!"

"Forget it, just fight!"

They fought on for a little longer, until Sango kicked Inu-Yasha and landed him on the ground, the Tetsusaiga just out of reach of his hand and Sango's sword at his throat. Sango had one.

"Nice work, Sango!" Ryu said. "And not to bad, Inu-Yasha!"

"Hey, Ryu, I don't think we've seen you fight yet," Sango said.

"No, I guess you haven't," Ryu said.

"Let's see what you've got. Face me," Sango said, standing ready.

"I'm sorry, I don't fight humans."

"Are you just afraid of being beaten?" Shippo said, going over Ryu.

"Of course not!" Ryu said.

"Then fight her!" Shippo said. Ryu sighed.

"Fine. But I warn you, I'm going very easy on you."

With that, he jumped in the air, drew his sword and attacked. He used one hand to wield his sword, and Sango couldn't even get close to getting a hit on him. Suddenly he jumped up, did a mid-air flip over Sango, and landed behind her in the blink of an eye. He kicked her in the back, and she fell, rolled over, and had Ryu's sword at her throat. He then sheathed it and stood back, helping Sango up(A/N: The first time he'd made physical contact on purpose).

"Wow...You're good..." Sango said panting.

"After 700 years of training, you'd think I aught to be. And you're not half bad yourself." Ryu glanced over at Kagome. "Hey, Kagome!"

"Yeah?"

"You've got Miko(priestess) powers, right?"

"Yes..."

"Well, it's not fair if you don't get to train. Try to get a hit on me. Try your arrows first."

"But..."

"I can deflect them, don't worry!" Ryu said, drawing out his sword.

"Alright..." Kagome said. She threaded an arrow in her bow, and let it loose, aiming at Ryu. Right when it was about to hit him, he raised his sword and directed it to the ground. Kagome let loose many more arrows, all re-directed harmlessly to the ground.

"Great! Those are really powerful. If I was to get hit by one of those, I can tell you, it would HURT! But anyway, try your other powers."

Kagome nodded, and a pink energy ball formed. Then it grew, until it was huge. Then she let it loose. Ryu wasn't expecting something so powerful, but managed to deflect it just the same and jump out of the way as the ground exploded. When the smoke cleared, a crater was in the earth.

"Lady Kagome, have you been practicing?" Miroku asked.

"I'm glad you noticed!" Kagome said, looking happy.

"And look! We've got a nice fire-pit now!" Ryu said, breaking a couple branches off a tree and throwing them in the middle of the crater. Then he shot out some green flame from his moth, lighting the branches.

"There we go!" Ryu said.

"Why is the fire green?" Shippo asked.

"Oh...that. Well you see, anyone with at least a bit of human blood won't get burned, but if you're a full demon, it's burn like hellfire. Go ahead, try it!"

Sango cautiously stuck her hand in the fire. It felt warm, but didn't burn.

"Well, there's a hot spring not too far from here," Kagome said. "I think I'll go take a bath."

"Me too," Sango said. Shippo jumped onto Kagome's shoulder.

"And I'll make sure this lecherous monk doesn't follow you," Ryu said.


	3. Random explinations

It was the next day. Ryu had gone hunting, and the rest were talking around the fire(Which was still burning, to their surprise). Ryu came back at that instant, covered in blood.

"What happened, Ryu?!" Sango said, running up to him.

"What...? Oh, this..." He said, realizing she talking about his clothes. "That thing put up one hell of a fight...But I managed to get him. Man, I have to get used to being twelve. It's a lot harder now because their a lot bigger then I am...He didn't taste too bad..."

"You ATE it? RAW?!" Kagome said, turning green.

"Raw? No way! I cook my food, thank you very much!" Ryu said.

"You can't stay in those clothes," Sango said. "Hey Kagome, you got any spare clothes?"

"Uh...Yeah..." Kagome said, pulling out some jeans and a t-shirt that would fit Ryu perfectly.

"Kagome...Why do you carry extra clothes? They don't even fit you!" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Just in case!" Kagome said, shifting her eyes around and getting an evil grin on her face.

"Right...Ryu, why don't you and the rest of the guys go over to the hot spring and wash up?" Sango said. They agreed and left.

They came back later, Ryu now dressed in clean clothes. It was about midday now.

"What are we gonna do now?" Ryu asked.

"That's obvious: Search for more jewel shards!" Inu-Yasha said.

"But we don't know where to start!" Sango said.

"Inu-Yasha... I think your wish just came true!" Ryu said.

"I sense a Jewel Shard!" Kagome said.

Right at that moment, a big blob-thing came crashing through the trees. Inu-Yasha took out Tetsusaiga.

"What the hell IS that thing?!" Inu-Yasha asked. It looked like a giant ball of green slime with eyes and a wide, gaping mouth.

"I think it's a demon..." Miroku said.

"Kagome, where's the shard?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"Ew...It's near the back end...I think..." Kagome said, shuddering.

"Ok...KAZE NO KIZU!!!!!" Inu-Yasha yelled. The Wind Scar sent the demon into pieces. The goop and guts flew all over them, covering them from head to toe. Kagome and Ryu were the only ones not covered. Ryu had taken out his sword and deflected it all, making a small pile of goop on the ground, and Kagome had run screaming away and hid behind a tree.

"Great..." Inu-Yasha said, looking down at himself. He was the worst of them all. In fact, he looked like he was a big, green jello monster. "Now we all have to go wash up AGAIN! Kagome, go get the shard."

"EWW!" Kagome said, shuddering at the thought of getting near the goo.

"Kagome..." Inu-Yasha said, starting to get a little ticked.

"Alright," Kagome said, going over to what was left of the monster(Which wasn't much, considering most of it was on her companions). "Gross..." She said, picking the jewel up and purifying it.

"Girls go first!" Sango said, bolting towards the springs. Kagome and Kirara followed(Even Kirara wanted to get the slime off, and she HATED water).

The guys(Excluding Ryu) didn't look too happy about waiting, but decided that it was better to then to be clubbed to death by going anywhere near the hot springs.

The girls came back after a while, completely clean. Miroku and Inu-Yasha ran to the hot springs, very tired of being covered in goo. Ryu, however, stayed behind. Kirara resumed her usual position on Ryu tail, making him wince when she got on. Sango laughed at Ryu face as the claws dug into his tail.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Sango asked. Kagome had left(I don't know where she left to, but she's not there at the moment. Also, I'm going to do this a lot: NOTE: FIRST TIME RYU HAS BEEN ALONE WITH A GIRL/SANGO)

"Only at first. Then it goes away," Ryu said, not looking at Sango. He was very uncomfortable being alone with her. His tail swished around gently, Kirara enjoying the ride. Sango noticed his tail had been stained red with Kirara's past rides.

"Ryu..." Sango said, moving closer to him. Ryu's eyes were huge, but he stayed put. "Ryu, why are you so afraid of me?"

"Nothing personal...It's just..." Ryu said. He really didn't want to talk about it.

"Spill it, Ryu!" Kagome said, coming back into the clearing.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it!" Ryu said, his voice rising.

"Tell us!"

"NO!!!" Ryu shouted. Inu-Yasha and Miroku came back at that moment.

"What's wrong?" Miroku asked.

"He won't tell us why he's terrified of us!" Kagome said.

"I said it's nothing personal!" Ryu said, returning to his usually calm self(Probably because he wasn't the only guy in the clearing). "It's just..."

"Spill, Ryu!" Inu-Yasha said. Ryu looked surprised. They circled around him, glaring. Ryu looked scared.

"Alright!!! Fine, I'll tell!" Ryu sighed with relief as everyone sat down, giving him breathing room.

"I won't go into detail. It's just...I trusted someone I thought I knew and she ended up killing my village! Ok?! Happy now? I'm afraid of girls because of what happened!" Ryu shouted. He was fighting back tears. Everyone was silent.

"Ryu..." Sango said, trying to put a comforting arm around him. Ryu jumped out of the way.

"I don't need your sympathy," he said flatly, looking away. Then he flew off, saying he was going hunting. Sango sighed.

"When is he going to get used to us?" She asked.

"You mean when is he going to get used to _you_. He's not afraid of us," Inu-Yasha said. Miroku looked deep in thought. Shippo noticed.

"What's up, Miroku?"

"I'm just thinking if something similar to what happened to Inu-Yasha happened to Ryu: A betrayal by someone who you trusted deeply."

They sat in silence. Ryu returned a short while after, only his hands covered in blood this time. He looked happy. The others decided not to bring up the subject again that night.

It was late. Soon the sounds of quiet breathing was heard, but Ryu still didn't sleep. He sat on a branch, staring up at the sky. Suddenly he heard a voice.

"Ryu? You still awake?"

It was Sango. Ryu looked surprised that she was still awake.

"Y-Yeah..."

"Ryu...You were in Naraku's castle, right?"

"Uh, yeah..."

"Did you see...Was he..." Sango started, but couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Kohaku?" Ryu finished, much to the surprise of Sango. There was a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Yeah...How did you know?"

"Hehe..." Ryu looked away. "Uh...You see...I'm kinda telepathic sometimes...But what about Kohaku?" Ryu paused, staring intently at Sango. "Ah, you're wondering if he's regained his mind yet...I don't know much, but I'll tell you this: From what I heard, he was starting to remember. He's doing lots better, Sango. When I heard he was there, I was overjoyed at the thought of someone surviving the massacre. That's how I was captured: Looking for Kohaku. It was only after that I found out that he had lost all his memories. But I did get to see him sometimes. He'd come down to see me every once in a while. He's a good kid. He'll pull through."

Sango's head was bent and she was crying. Ryu, feeling bad for her, glided down and put a comforting arm around her(NOTE: FIRST ACT OF FRIENDSHIP TOWARDS A GIRL/SANGO).

Miroku woke up at that moment, though neither Sango or Ryu noticed. He looked over at the two and nearly jumped up in jealousy at the sight of Sango leaning full on Ryu and Ryu hugging her back. 


	4. A friend found again

A/N: This is Sango, (a.k.a Demon-slayer13) filling in for Tori -Chan. Ok? She can't write this one and I keep bugging her to put it up, Her chapters are longer and in a different style.

Author's note: This is Tori, I'm just writing in to tell you that Sango-Chan saved my life with writing this story...and that I found at least 5 grammar mistakes! YAY! I re-edited this. And I just found something else I should tell you: demon-slayer13 wrote all the Inu-Yasha Inu-Yasha. I'm sorry, but I can't stand those! I fixed them all up...Sorry Sango!

Disclaimer: We've already told you time and time again we do not own Inu-Yasha or anyone else whom Rumiko Takahashi-sama created.

Disclaimer: What she said.

Final Note: THIS IS NOT A RYU/SANGO STORY! IT WILL BE SAN/MIR I CANNOT STAND ANY OTHER PAIRING WITH SANGO OR MIROKU IN THEM! I especially hate San/Inu, San/Sess and Kag/Mir.

Final note: I agree with demon-slayer13, who wrote the first final note. THIS ISN'T A RYU-SANGO FIC!

------

Sango fell asleep on Ryu. Ryu's eyes were as big as possible, but he didn't want to wake her up. Miroku got up and walked off. Ryu looked guilty.

Later that morning, everyone woke up to find Sango still asleep on Ryu. They looked at him with shocked expressions on their faces.

"I'm innocent!!!!" Ryu said, holding a hand up in defense. "I was just comforting her!"

"Sure!" Everyone said, not believing him in the slightest.

At that moment, Sango woke up. Immediately she realized her position and sat up and got away from Ryu instantly, making Ryu look very relived.

"Ryu!!!! Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep on you!" Sango said. Then she looked around at all the people staring at her. "Where's Houshi-Sama?"

It was at that moment everyone realized that Miroku was not present. Ryu looked down.

"Ryu?" Everyone said accusingly.

"He left in the night & I don't know where he went," Ryu said.

"Who cares?" Inu-Yasha said. Everyone stared at him. "What?"

"We can't just leave him!" Sango announced.

"Why not?" Inu-Yasha asked, looking confused. (A/n: Slow isn't he?)

Just at the moment Miroku came back, looking annoyed. "We have to get back to looking for SHARDS!" Inu-Yasha shouted. "Come on, everyone were leaving in ten minutes. Or I'll leave without you."

Fifteen minutes later everyone was waiting for Kagome, "Hurry up wench!" Inu-Yasha called into the clearing.

"SIT!" Kagome screamed back.

Muffled swear words were muttered into the dirt. Finally, Kagome was ready to go. The gang had a pretty uneventful day, destroying a few small demons, which sadly had no jewel shards. They then found a lead to a mysterious disappearing castle.

Naraku's "Hidden" Castle

"Kagura!" Naraku ordered her into the room while still playing on his swivel chair. He skidded to a stop as she entered.

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Yes, my lord?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Two things, one, what ever happened to that dragon-prisoner?" Naraku asked.

Kagura sighed; this was the third time the baka idiot had asked her that. "He was killed by Inu-Yasha, my lord."

Naraku snorted, "Killed by a half-breed, imagine that."

Kagura bit her tongue. 'You're a half-breed too! Asshole!' she thought.

"Oh, and secondly, have you seen my eye shadow?" Naraku asked.

"No," Kagura replied slightly afraid. "But you may want to check under your bed. Who knows what else is there."

"Ok then dismissed, but please tell Kanna no more sucking up the prisoners souls? I shall take her out soon enough!" Naraku said dismissively.

Back with the IY gang

As night fell Kagome suggested they stop in a deserted village.

"We should keep going! Kagome we haven't even found one shard today!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed.

Kagome looked upset and then angry. "Sit boy! I'm tired! Okay! I want to stay here! I would like to go into the next not deserted village but I'm too tired! Got that?"

Inu-Yasha looked as if he was going to come back with a nasty remark.

Ryu watched the pair. 'Hm...this could be interesting.' Ryu thought

Miroku spoke for the first time in a long while, "Every time this happens Kagome-sama-"

He was cut off by Kagome's joyful scream of, "I SENSE A JEWEL SHARD!"

Inu-Yasha immediately stopped yelling and told Kagome to get on his back.

Sango called to Kirara and Kirara transformed. Sango jumped one her back and that left Miroku and Ryu.

"Always senses a jewel shard." Miroku muttered to himself before jumping on behind Sango, who immediately moved forward.

Ryu spread his wings and took off flying beside Kirara and above Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha whispered to Ryu, he knew dragon demons had almost as good hearing as he did. Ryu's eyes were way better though. "Ryu" Inu-Yasha hissed under his breath, "Come down here! It's about the jewel shard."

Ryu landed and ran beside Inu-Yasha "What is it?" Ryu whispered

Inu-Yasha replied in a slightly louder volume so Kagome could hear as well. "Kohaku's the one wit the jewel shard, I can smell him."

Ryu quickly understood why he should be prepared. His and Sango's conversation had not ended on a happy note last night. "Should we warn her? Kagome asked.

Inu-Yasha nodded, "If you don't it will be worse."

Ryu understood that if Sango stumbled across Kohaku knowing full well that Inu-Yasha and Ryu would have known he was there

"Ill tell her," Kagome said, "If Ryu doesn't mind taking me there."

Ryu looked terrified at the thought of Kagome being closer than she already is. He then thought of how close they were to the jewel shard and reluctantly agreed. Inu-Yasha stopped and Kagome climbed onto Ryu's back. Ryu flinched at the contact but look Kagome up to Kirara, Miroku had already guessed why Kagome was here and made room for her.

Kagome carefully climbed onto Kirara's back and whispered in Sango's ear, "We thought you should know, Kohaku's the one with the jewel shard, were almost there so be prepared."

Sango's back stiffened and she urged Kirara faster. The demon then came into view, it was a rat demon and it was holding Kohaku it's paws.

Sango jumps off Kirara and lands in front of the rat demon She throws Hiraikotsu and it chops the demon in half.

Kohaku was about to fall when Kirara ran up and caught him.

He looked scared, "Ane-ue! Is that you?" Kohaku said sadly.

"Kohaku, do you remember?" Sango asked.

"Bits and pieces, Sango! I killed them! Our father and villager, I remember that, I remember meeting you awhile back but that's about it!" Kohaku replied

Sango looked into his eyes, they we're not a solid brown and he held tears in them.

Sango immediately hugged him tightly and he started to cry.

Everyone gave them a little space. Finally Shippo spoke up, "I'm tired Kagome!" he whined.

Sango smiled, Shippo wasn't the only one who was tired. Kagome had been complaining earlier as well. Sango looked at the jewel shard in Kohaku's back. She still smiled although there was a sad look in her eyes. Miroku noticed. He kept his mouth shut though.

Inu-Yasha opened a door to a one-room hut. Sango's eyes widened as she saw the one room, and she said, "Nope find another hut please!"

Inu-Yasha sighed, "Live with it, Sango,"

Sango gave up; Kohaku had fallen asleep on Kirara's back.

The small one-room hut as at least slightly cozy.

The girls Kohaku and Shippo slept on the right wall and the guys along the left.

Miroku lay down on a futon and feigned sleep. He did not want to witness anything like last night.

Midnight Conversation #2 (you may want to keep track of these)

Inu-Yasha snorted. "Ryu, do you know why Miroku's acting like this?"

Ryu shook his head but said, "I think it's because of me,"

Inu-Yasha smirked, "Partly, Miroku's not a bad guy, but he's a pervert. He's jealous of the relationship you and Sango have. He tries to push her away, but she likes him, as well."

Miroku's PoV

'I must have dozed off for awhile,' I thought. I hear Inu-Yasha and Ryu and talking quietly.

- the relationship you and Sango have." Inu-Yasha was saying.

That's all I need to know. I block out the rest of the conversation and fall into a very uncomfortable sleep.

Back to Normal PoV

"He pushes her away because he doesn't want her to get hurt if he dies and he covers up his feelings by asking other girls to 'bear his children,'" Inu-Yasha explained.

Ryu grinned slightly, "I bet that makes Sango jealous,"

Inu-Yasha smirked "Yeah it does, but she won't tell him how she feels because she thinks he doesn't care for her, and in a way he's hurting her more by pushing her away then he is by telling her how he feels."

Ryu nodded, Inu-Yasha was a lot smarter than people give him credit for. Inu-Yasha then said, "Don't worry about Miroku, Ryu, he'll come around."

Inu-Yasha then closed his eyes but he did not sleep, he listened to make sure everyone was okay, and he noticed Ryu, didn't sleep either.


	5. Misunderstandings understood

_Poor Sango...Her nightmares are terrible..._

_Miroku's better, but not much...Did NOT want to see that!_

_Kirara...Who's that other cat?_

_Kagome...Poor thing. She must really hate Geometry!_

_Shippo...What ARE you dreaming about?!?! Are those Lollipops?!_

_Kohaku...Better not go there..._

_Inu-Yasha...He's not asleep..._

Ryu sighed. He really wished he could sleep, but he didn't need to. That special quality was very rare, even for dragons. His body didn't need rest. The only time he would sleep was when he was extremely sick or hurt. Or on his 'rest day', the day where he spent all day asleep.

Kagome suddenly blinked awake. She stretched, yawned, and opened her eyes all the way. She spotted Ryu.

"You up too?" She said, looking at him. Ryu nodded.

Everyone else woke up shortly afterward. Kagome started right away on breakfast while everyone else went out to wake up. Ryu took Kirara off him, gave her to Sango, and flew away.

"Where are you going, Ryu?!" Sango called after him.

"Food," Ryu yelled back simply. Then he disappeared into some clouds.

"I don't get it! Why can't he just hang around?" Sango said, sighing. Miroku got up and walked away. Sango noticed.

"Houshi-Sama?" She said. He ignored her and kept walking.

Ryu came back a few minutes later, only his hands covered in blood. But he had the remains of an arrow sticking out of his leg.

"Ryu!!! What happened?"

"What? Please don't tell me I got blood on my clothes again! I tried to clean up!" Ryu said.

"No, your leg...!" Sango said. Ryu followed Sango's gaze.

"Damn villagers..." Ryu said, pulling the bloody arrow out.

"Ryu...What were you eating?" Sango said slowly.

"Chicken."

"You mean you STOLE chicken?!" Sango said.

"Yeah, but all the animals I take from villages are either close to death or sick. I can eat virtually anything."

"Wow...Aneue, who is this?" Kohaku asked, coming out from the hut.

"You remember that Dragon Demon who saved me? This is him!" Sango said.

"Really? Thanks for saving my sister!"

"So I finally get to meet Kohaku! I've been following your family for a long time now, but you and your sister are the best demon-slayers I've seen for a long time."

"Wow! We're really that good?" Sango said. Ryu nodded.

"Wait...Where'd Miroku get off to?" Ryu said. "I'd don't see him..."

"He walked off a while ago. Wonder where he went..."

Ryu walked over to Inu-Yasha and leaned over, whispering something to him.

"Inu-Yasha, do you think...He heard us last night?"

"I don't know...Maybe..."

Miroku came back at that moment, walking right past all of them. Sango looked like she wanted to say something, but Miroku disappeared inside the hut.

"What's up with him?" Sango said. Ryu looked down as Inu-Yasha glanced over in his direction.

"Oh, hi Miroku. You came at just the right time," Came Kagome's voice from inside the hut. "Come on everyone! Food's ready!"

They all went into the hut and enjoyed a wonderful meal. Miroku ate quickly and left again silently. Sango looked out after him.

"What's wrong with him?" Sango said again, taking another bite of her Ramen. Ryu and Inu-Yasha were fighting over yet another bowl, but both stopped suddenly as they heard this. Unfortunately for Inu-Yasha, Ryu was quicker to come back and snatched the Ramen and began pretending not to hear them while he ate.

"Yeah, he's been acting kind of strange lately..." Kagome said. Ryu and Inu-Yasha exchanged looks.

"Is there something you're not telling us?" Sango said, looking over at the two boys. They began eating again instantly.

"Tell us!" Kagome said. They stopped eating and exchanged more looks.

"Should we tell them?" Inu-Yasha said.

"Of course not!" Ryu said. As he said it, the girls rounded on him, making the boys shrink back into the wall.

"On second thought, you can tell them!" Ryu said, going as far back into the wall as it permitted, trying to get away from the two pressing girls. They smiled and backed up.

"Why do I have to tell them?"

"Because if I tell her, Sango will get all sentimental and maybe hug me or something!!!"

"Good point. Fine, I'll cover for you this time."

"Well...Miroku's kinda jealous of Ryu..." Inu-Yasha said to the others.

"Why would he be jealous?" Kagome said.

"Well...Sango, you're always around Ryu...You talk about more things with Ryu then you do with him...You know, that kind of stuff."

"That's silly! Miroku wouldn't get jealous over little things like that! There'd have to be other influ-" Sango cut off as both boys gulped and looked at each other. "What have you been talking about?!?!?!?!"

"Nothing bad! We think Miroku just caught the wrong parts of our conversations!!!" Ryu said defensively as they rounded on him.

"So Miroku's got the whole thing wrong?"

"Yup. Someone should go talk to him..." Sango said. Everyone stared at her. "No...Not me...Alone with that pervert? Are you nuts?!"

"Tell you what, Sango, if he lays a hand on you, I promise that he'll regret it!" Ryu said. Sango sighed, got up, and left the hut. Kagome started to follow her but Ryu grabbed her sleeve.

"Let them be alone."

Sango looked all over the place for Miroku, finally finding him leaning up against a tree. She jogged over to him. He had his back to her.

"Houshi-Sama..." Sango said, approaching him cautiously. He did not move but started to talk.

"Where's your new friend?"

"Ryu's not here. Why would he be?"

"You spend enough time with him."

"Houshi-Sama...You've got it all wrong!"

Miroku turned around and faced her. Sango sat down beside him.

"What do you mean I've got it all wrong? I'm not that stupid you know! You're with him all the time, talking and joking like's he's been a close friend of yours forever!"

"I wouldn't spend nearly as much time with him if he didn't look twelve!" Sango said. "I don't really like him or anything, if you know what I mean. It's just he knows me more then anyone...Well, I suppose now that Kohaku's here...But that's not the point! Ryu's been following me for a long time...It's like having someone else from our village survive."

Miroku blinked. Surely...No, that couldn't be right.

"Really?" He said disbelievingly. "Is that all?"

"He's a really nice person..." Sango said. _Just get up the courage! Do it!_ Sango raised her hand slowly, then grabbed Miroku's. He looked very surprised and stared at Sango. "But he's nothing more then a friend..." _Say it Sango! Just get up the courage! You can do this! _"You're much more then that. Much more."

"Sango..." Miroku said. He was speechless. He had been wrong! Maybe what he heard...Maybe he hadn't heard the whole story! That'll teach him to jump to conclusions!

"Say something!" Sango said. "Say some-"

But she was cut off as Miroku, unable to think of any words to express how happy he was, leaned over and kissed Sango. Sango's eyes widened as he hugged her. Then she too hugged back. They broke away from each other.

"I'm so glad I was wrong," Miroku said. Sango smiled.

"I'm glad too."

------------------------------------

Sango and Miroku went back to the others soon after, absent-mindedly holding hands. Though they didn't notice it, everyone else did. Every single person's eyes (Especially Kohaku's) went huge. Sango and Miroku blinked at them all.

"What?" They said. They sat down, everyone still staring. Everyone blinked (anime style).

"Uh..." Kohaku said, looking at the two. _Why is my she...Does she LIKE him?!?!_

"What's wrong, Kohaku?" Sango said, looking at his horrified and confused expression.

"Nothing!!!" He said hurriedly, glancing around the room.

"Well...What should we do for the rest of the day? I mean, it's not even midday yet."

"We've had too many rest days," Inu-Yasha said. "It's getting close to spring, and-"

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!" Kagome screamed, jumping up and panicking. They all looked at her, alarmed.

"What?! What's wrong?!" Inu-Yasha said, jumping up as well and sniffing the air, in case there was a demon around. No one noticed, but Ryu was giggling.

"I've got my final tomorrow! And I haven't studied!!!!!!!!" Kagome said franticly. Inu-Yasha started at her while Ryu burst out laughing.

"Final?!? You mean that test thing you do for...What do you call it...Spool or something?"

"It's called SCHOOL you IDIOT!!!!" Kagome said. "I need to get back!!!! FAST!!! If I get back now, I might have a chance...But we're so far away!! I'll never make it!"

Ryu smiled and stood up. He took a deep breath, and, facing his fear of girls, said:

"Uh...Well...I could take you there..."

"Really? But we're so far from the Well!"

"Well, if I fly moderately fast, we could get there in about 5 minutes..."

"WOW!! You can really do that?"

"Sure..."

"I would hug you, but I know how much you'd hate it! Thank you SO MUCH!!!!" Kagome said happily, catching herself as she went to hug Ryu. Ryu smiled as well and went outside, taking Kagome with him.

"Wait!!! Kagome, when are you coming back?" Inu-Yasha said, following after them.

"About a week or so."

"A WEEK?!?!? You'll never come back!"

"I will!! Don't worry Inu-Yasha! Now Ryu, since you're smaller then me, how are we going to fly?"

"Well...Like this!" Ryu said, beating his wings and taking off. Then he glided around Kagome, threw her up into the air, and caught her on his back. Ryu beat his wings harder to compensate for the extra weight, then flew off so fast, they seemed to disappear right before everyone else's eyes.

"AAAAHHHHHH!!!" Kagome screamed, pulling tighter around Ryu's neck. The country around them was moving so fast, she must have been going way, WAY faster then any car or train.

"If I'm going to fast, just tell me!" Ryu said, flying up through some clouds.

"How much further?"

"About...18 miles or so."

Kagome did not notice the funny thing about that sentence. Yet something sounded different to her...She couldn't put her finger on it...

"We're here."

Ryu suddenly dipped below the clouds, revealing that they were right over Inu-Yasha's forest. Then Ryu stopped beating his wings, and they plummeted to the ground, through the trees, Kagome screaming and almost strangling Ryu. They were about to hit the ground when Ryu opened his wings again and touched down softly. Kagome let go of the dragon demon and saw, to her surprise, that she was standing right beside the Well. And, to her greater surprise, that Ryu was holding her bag.

"How did you get that?" Kagome said, staring as Ryu dropped the bag beside the well.

"Doubled back and got it when you blinked."

"That fast?!"

"That was nothing. Well, you'd better get home."

"Ok. Thanks, you really saved me!"

"Nothin' to it!"

Kagome smiled and grabbed her bag. She jumped down the Well, but just as she did, a strange thought occurred to her:

_How did Ryu know about the well?_

As Kagome disappeared, Ryu slumped against the well, then slid down the ground. He had done it, he had actually been with a girl other then Sango for a while. Plus he had made physical contact! Maybe all girls weren't evil!

Then he realized it. His eyes shot wide open.

"I hope she didn't catch that...I've got to keep my words careful, or they'll figure it out!" He said to himself. _I'm lucky Inu-Yasha hasn't sniffed it out yet...But Kagome...If she caught that...Shit! I know she caught something! As she was going down the Well...Damn, she caught how I knew where the Well was and how it worked! I hope she'll forget!_


	6. Memory's nightmare

Author's note: I'm adding t-this late. I'm writing page 6 right now...and for the first time, I'm really crying. I don't think it's really sad and like snivel, but I'm actually really crying. Only Sango-Chan will understand why! I mean it, I'm being serious, I'm actually really worked up over this! Great, now my throat's all closed up...

Yours Truly,

Me

-------------------------------

"Hi mom! Sota! Gramps! I'm home!" Kagome yelled as she came through the door. Sota poked his head out of the living room.

"Hey sis! Why did ya come back?"

"I've got a final tomorrow. I need to study."

"Don't let me get in your way!" Sota said, his head disappearing back into the living room as sounds of some video game were heard.

Kagome went up into her room and sat down at her desk. As she pulled some books towards her, she sighed as she realized how much work she had to do. At least she had all day to study...

--------------------

Back in the Feudal era, Ryu had come back, his claws covered in blood. They were all waiting for him, Inu-Yasha grumbling about how stupid that wench was.

"You took her to the Well? Found it ok?"

"No problem."

"I see you stopped for a bite to eat," Sango said, noticing his hands. Ryu smiled guiltily.

"Yeah..."

"Man, how much can one little guy eat, anyway?" Inu-Yasha said.

"Dragons are never full. I'll eat anything...Well, except for a human."

"Why? Well, that's a stupid question...You're not like regular demons. I mean, Inu-Yasha wouldn't eat a human."

"Can't say I would!" Inu-Yasha said.

"Actually Sango, there are lots of reasons why I don't eat humans. Your family's one of them."

"Really?" Kohaku said.

"Yeah, among other things..."

"Damn Kagome...We can't move too much while she's gone," Inu-Yasha said grumpily. Ryu laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing..." Ryu said, trying to straighten his face and failing. _That's not why you're grumpy! You can hide it from everyone else, but not from me! _

--------------------------------

Kagome had fallen asleep on her desk, right over her math textbook. She woke suddenly at the caw of a crow outside her window.

"What...? I must have dosed off...What was I doing again? Oh, that's right, studying."

She went back to the math, very tiered but determined. The clocked ticked away. This was her last test of the term...Only a little while more and she'd be off for summer. Then she'd be able to spend the whole time in the Feudal era.

_Just keep thinking of being free..._She said to herself. _Just concentrate on...What am I reading about again?_

--------------------------

Ryu had gone out hunting again, and, much to his dismay, had gotten covered from head to toe in purple-ish blood. Sango had sent him off to find a hot spring because the blood, frankly speaking, did not smell like blood at all.

Ryu got into the spring he had found and sat there for a while. He was thinking about his past; how he was going to have to endure another session of memories soon...Wait, tonight!

He quickly got out, got dressed in his old clothes (which had been washed) and flew back to everyone else. It was getting late.

"Oh, hey Ryu. What's wrong?" Sango said as he walked in, noticing the look on his face.

"I think it's time I explained something..." Ryu said, sitting down. "You see, I have this little thing that happens to me once a month...No, I don't turn human, Inu-Yasha. I call it my 'rest day'. All I do is sleep all day."

"Ok..."

"You see, I don't sleep at all other then my rest day, or if I'm really hurt or sick. But you see, I get this little barrier thing around me when I'm in my rest state. If anyone comes within two feet of me, it will either throw you back until you hit something you can't go through, or it will incinerate whatever is in my little 'bubble'."

"Good to know."

"And so I warn you: don't come near me NO MATTER WHAT!"

"When does this little rest-thing start?"

"Midnight tonight. And it ends midnight tomorrow."

"Thanks for the warning."

Ryu sighed and left the hut. He wouldn't have minded his rest days, if only he didn't have the nightmare every single time. Sango followed after him.

"Ryu?"

"Sorry...It's just the nightmare..."

"Nightmare?"

"It's this nightmare that I have every time I have one of these rests. It's horrible..."

"Can't be worse then mine."

"Believe me, they can."

"How can they be?!"

"Look, you don't know what I go through! You don't know what I went through!!!"

"Calm down!" Sango said. Ryu had started shouting. Ryu sighed again.

"I'm sorry."

He looked up. He was startled to see that it was almost midnight. In fact, any minute now...

"Sango, get back," Ryu said as he started to glow faintly. Sango stepped back as she watched Ryu lay down and close his eyes. Instantly he fell asleep. Sango went back into the hut.

"He's asleep."

"And we should be too," Miroku said. "But I think we should keep an eye on Ryu. I've never heard of a demon going through such a process."

Miroku got up and went outside. They all followed him. It was nice out, the perfect weather and temperature. Miroku was watching Ryu and was very startled when he suddenly cried out in his sleep. He tossed and turned. Everyone ran up to him and watched as he thrashed around, desperate to wake up. All the while he was saying things like 'No' or 'stop it! Please!' It was horrible to watch.

"The poor guy..." Miroku said.

"I wonder what's so terrible that he's dreaming about," Inu-Yasha said.

"He said something about what he went through," Sango said. "Do you think it's a memory?"

"We'll have to wait until he wakes up."

------------------------------------------

Back in the regular time, Kagome was still awake, trying to remember all the dates for history. It was working, slowly but surely. But she was half asleep.

"I can't cram another word into my head!!" Kagome said, throwing the book down. "I need some sleep!"

She got up, stretched, and walked over to her bed. She fell asleep almost instantly.

-----------------------------------------------------

It was morning, and when they awoke, Ryu was slightly calmer and not screaming. They all looked over at him.

"Poor him...At least it's only once a month..."

"Feh. I'd take that over being human!" Inu-Yasha said.

"Yes, but you don't have such bad memories," Miroku said, looking pitifully over at the sleeping dragon demon. "It seems that Ryu has some really bad memories."

"At least I can wake up from mine," Kohaku said. "I don't think Ryu has that option."

------------------------------------------------------

"Kagome!! Get up!! You're going to be late for school!"

Kagome woke with a start from a particularly nice dream about passing on her final and laid in her bed for a second before she realized what Sota had said. She jumped up, sending Buuyo flying. Sota caught the flying cat and jumped out of the way as his sister rushed out of the way, doubling back to grab her uniform.

"What time is it?!" Kagome said, changing in the hall.

"Three...Two...One...And there goes your school bell!" Sota said, dropping Buuyo off in the living room and leaving the house. "Bye Mom!"

"I'm finally home for school and I'm going to be late!" Kagome said, pulling on a shoe, grabbing her bag and most of her books, and running out the door. "I'm so dead!"

"Bye honey! Good luck on your exams!" Mrs. (?) Higurashi said as Kagome ran out.

10 minutes later, Kagome was sitting in the classroom, and the tests were being handed out. And of course, they were...

"Geometry!" Kagome groaned. She looked at the page, which was covered in strange squiggles and lines and numbers that might as well have been in a different language. But as Kagome looked closer, she found that at least she knew some of the answers.

_It could be worse. I've defiantly gotten better since last time...I hardly remember the last time I was in school. Seems like ages..._

By the end of the day, Kagome was completely wiped out, but she found, to her surprise, that the exams were over. Of course, the students had had to stay and extra two hours, but at least they were all done and over with!

Hojo appeared suddenly beside Kagome, making her jump. He smiled at her.

"Hi Kagome!" He said. "So you've finally gotten over...What did you have again? You're sick with so much stuff nowadays."

"Uh....So how've ya been, Hojo?" Kagome said, hoping to get off the subject.

"I've been fine."

"Hard test, don't you think?"

"Parts. I hated that history part."

"Oh really?" _History was the easiest thing on there!_

"Hey, Kagome, want to go see a movie or something tomorrow after school?"

"Uh, sorry Hojo...I'm kinda busy..."

"Oh, sorry. Well, I'll see you around!" With that, Hojo walked off, leaving Kagome standing there. Kagome continued to walk home. When she got there, she quickly grabbed her bag and jumped down the well.

----------------------------------

"Hey...That's Kagome's scent...Kagome's back!"

Inu-Yasha jumped up suddenly and began running in the direction of the Well. Miroku sighed.

"How long do you think Lady Kagome will have to wait?"

"About 2 hours. Maybe."

"Yeah."

Inu-Yasha was running as fast as he could, trying to get to the Well. Not that far now...

((1 hour later))

"Inu-Yasha! What took you so long?"

"Sorry..."

((Another hour later))

"Finally! Ryu's having a real fit. Watch out!!!"

Inu-Yasha jumped out of the way just in time as Ryu thrashed over by him. Ryu whimpered, crying in his sleep.

"What's wrong with Ryu?" Kagome asked, looking at the poor kid. Miroku explained.

"That's awful! Poor guy!"

"There's nothing we can do but wait. How much longer until midnight?"

"About...2 hours."

"Good. Then we can ask him about his nightmare!"

"Well..." Sango said.

"What? Don't you want to know what he's so upset about?"

"Yeah...Well, I mean...He might not want to talk about it..."

"Probably."

"Well, let's just leave him be. When he's ready to talk, he can."

------------------------------

It had almost been two full hours, and everyone but Sango had fallen asleep. She wanted to make sure that Ryu was alright. Any minute now...

Ryu suddenly woke with a start and stopped glowing. He sat up, sobbing into his hand. Sango went over to him.

"Ryu? You ok?"

"Why d-did she do that?! She killed them! And it's all my fault!" Ryu said, choking on his tears. "I'm sorry!!! I didn't know!!!!"

"Ryu, calm down!!" Sango said, sitting down and grabbing his shoulders. Ryu looked up at her and cried out harder, waking everyone up.

"Ryu!! What's wrong?!"

"I was s-so stupid!!! How c-could I have done that?! _I _killed them all! _I'm _the one who saved her!!!!" Ryu choked up. He fell over onto Sango, crying full into her. She hugged him reassuringly.

"It's ok Ryu. It was just a nightmare."

"That's where you're wrong!" Ryu said, looking up at her. "It's not a dream. It's a m-memory."

"Ryu...Why don't you tell us what happened?"


	7. A Nightmare relived: Ryu's Past

Author's note:

Ok! So part of Ryu's past is going to be revealed! Drum roll, please!

Demon-Slayer13/banging on drums that have appeared out of nowhere/ Yeah!

Finally! I know a lot of you have been waiting for this! So READ, DAMN IT!

And I apologize for the shortness and the dramaticness /augustness and I hope you will forgive me. For all of you who have been giving me death threats if I didn't write it...HERE YOU GO, YOU ANNOYING –random person covers mouth- mfps! Maffnf! –uncovers- Keh. Well, here you go.

And I apologize for the extreme shortness...

Signed,

Me

It took a while for Ryu to calm down. Now they were all inside a comfortable hut, and Ryu was taking deep breaths in order to calm himself down.

"Ask me questions. I won't explain from the top," Ryu said.

"Um...Ok...Who was 'she' and who did you kill?" Kagome asked.

"Now you make me explain it from the top anyway!" Ryu said. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

"It all started when I was...About 100 years old. That's about...9 by your standards. I was adventurous then, and I loved to go to abandoned villages and see the wreckage and check for survivors. One day I went to a nearby human village, and, seeing nothing of interest, was about to leave when I heard a small voice cry out. I walked over to the source and found a girl, who looked about my demon age, buried in the rubble of an old house. I rescued her, and she thanked me over and over again, promising to repay me someday. I said I didn't need any thanks, but she insisted on coming with me back to my village. I took pity on the poor mortal girl, and took her back to my village, since there was no place for her to go. My mother said she could live in the village, and over then next 7 years, we became...More then friends."

"So what happened?" Kagome asked. Ryu looked ready to burst into sobs again, but held them back. He had to tell his story...It had been locked up inside of him for 700 years. He had to let it out.

"One day, while I was with my mother and my friend, who's name I will not say again, was gone, we heard a great crash outside. My mother and I looked out from out hut and saw hundreds of demons attacking our village. Suddenly a demon swooped down on us, and my mother defended me. Soon more demons were drawn to the scent of my mother's blood. She pushed me back and told me to run away, to fly. I'd never flown before. Young Dragon Demons are only supposed to start flying when they appear 12, and I still looked 9 or 10. But the demons proved too much for my mother, and she died. I sat there, weeping over her body, willing her to come back to life, when I heard a familiar voice. My friend's voice. Only now it sounded cold and heartless.

"'So Ryu, I see that your great mother has fallen. So has everyone else from your village,' She said. 'So now you are the last one left.'

"'Why? Why?' I answered. 'Why are you doing this?'

"'I am not what I appear to be, my little dragon friend. I am much more superior to all others, including you. Now, the last of this Dragon Village, die!'

"But I was saved. The people of my village had a pact with the Demon-Slayers. Some even walked among them, as guardians or demon-slayers themselves. They had somehow heard of the battle and came to help in any way they could. They arrived, all of them, and fought the demons to the death. I was spared when one demon-slayer attacked the witch I had once called my friend. I took the chance and tried to fly. It took 5 times before I could gain enough altitude to make my escape. I hid deep in the mountains for days, waiting. When I thought the coast was clear, I flew back to the village. Hundreds of demons were laying in pieces all across my village. Most of the demon-slayers were dead, as well as all of my kin. I sat there and wept for hours. And now, every time I have my rest-day, I relive the entire thing over and over. It was my fault they all died. I am the one to blame!"

Of all the horrible things that had occurred to any of them, of all the wicked plots and betrayals they had faced, that was all nothing compared to this. Sango's and Kohaku's story was close, but even that had been better.

"Any questions?" No-one made a motion to signify they had one. "Good. I'm going outside."

With that, Ryu walked straight out of the hut, leaving the rest of them to discuss Ryu's story. Everyone turned to Sango and Kohaku.

"I've never heard any of this in stories before," Kohaku said.

"I have. There was a story father told me before you were born, Kohaku. He said that long ago, the people of my village had a good relationship with a group of demons who lived in the mountains. The demons were a relatively peaceful race and did not believe in killing for power. We were good friends, and even some of the dragon demons lived in our village. When they heard of a terrible battle raging up in the Dragon's village, all of our demon-slayers went to help. Then demons attacked our village: but they only killed the Dragon demons. When they were all dead, the demons flew or ran back up to the dragon's village. Of the hundred or so Demon-Slayers who sent out to help, only 10 of them returned uninjured, and another five alive but sustaining injuries. They informed the village that all the dragons had been killed. For years their tale was told, honouring the dragons. But over time they were forgotten, until only the important and old men of the village knew the tale. I guess that was Ryu's story."

"Was there ever anything mentioned about the leader of the demons being killed?" Inu-Yasha asked.

"The demon-slayers said that they had killed as many as they could before retreating. Who knows?"

"Then that witch might still be out somewhere!" Inu-Yasha said.

"Get real, Inu-Yasha! That was 700 years ago! She's probably long dead by now!" Kagome said.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Miroku said. "If the sorceress was that powerful, then maybe she could have been a demon in disguise."

"Maybe...Anyway, we haven't heard anything about this demon, so I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"Um...Shouldn't someone go after Ryu?" Sango asked. Everyone looked at her. "Fine!"

"Well, he trusts you more then anyone else here!" Kohaku said. Sango sighed, got up, and followed Ryu out the door.

"Ryu? Ryu?" Sango called. A small snivelling noise could be heard, barely audible. Sango followed it to the source and found a very small, very sad Ryu sitting against a tree. Sango walked cautiously towards him. He looked up at her, his face covered in tears. Sango felt a pang of pity for him.

"Ryu? Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I'm fine!" Ryu said, wiping the tears from his face and looking into the sunrise. But anyone could tell that he was not at all fine, and was in emotional hysterics. But before Sango could say anything to comfort him, Ryu spoke up. "Sango...You went through something similar, and you relive it in nightmares all the time. Tell me, how do you cope with it so easily?"

"Well," She said, sitting down next to him, "I try to think of all the good things I have now. I have Kirara and all my friends, and now Kohaku and you! So what do you have now?"

"I guess I have some friends now..." Ryu said. Sango smiled down at Ryu. Ryu felt much better and started thinking of the things he had now: Friends, hope, a purpose in life, and someone who understood his pain. So maybe life wasn't so bad. Just maybe...


End file.
